Georgia Poultry Federation plans 2014 Annual Spring Meeting

The 2014 Annual Spring Meeting of the Georgia Poultry Federation will be held during the weekend of May 2-4 at Brasstown Valley Resort, Young Harris. 
The non-profit research and service exhibits will open at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 2. Regular exhibitors are: AgGeorgia Farm Credit, Georgia Poultry Federation, Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, Georgia Tech Research Institute, USDA Russell Research Center, and the University of Georgia Departments of Population Health and Poultry Science.
The annual business meeting, with election of officers and directors for 2014-15, will be on Friday evening followed by the popular family bingo game, which features prizes from poultry, allied and area companies. Those who donate prizes with a value of $25 or more, and notify the Georgia Poultry Federation office by April 4, will be listed in the program and announced during the game. All donors will be recognized. Those who plan to attend the meeting may bring their donated prizes to the Federation desk at Brasstown Valley Resort by 6 p.m. on Friday, May 2. If this is not possible, donated prizes may be delivered to the Georgia Poultry Federation, 518 South Enota Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501 by April 25 and should include the name and address of the donor.
Saturday sports events include a golf tournament, a horseshoe tournament, a 5K race, a one-mile fun run and a one-mile walk. The day's activities end with the Saturday Evening Banquet. 
The weekend meeting concludes with the traditional Poultry Industry Church Service at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Georgia poultry industry affected by new stormwater runoff legislation

Proposed Georgia legislation calling on poultry facilities near impaired streams to capture rain in heavy storms could have strong implications for the state's poultry industry, says the Georgia Poultry Federation.
Under the new proposal, facilities with a history of pollution must take serious action to clean up water discharged into streams. Those that don't meet water quality goals in three years will be under stricter scrutiny, and repeat offenders will have to meet certain levels or face penalties.
In particular, poultry companies are concerned about the standard for fecal coliform. One quarter of Georgia's poultry plants will be affected by the new requirements for sites near streams deemed impaired because of high levels of the bacteria, according to Mike Giles, head of the Georgia Poultry Federation. Flat Creek, for example, which flows through a heavy industrial area, is so contaminated with the bacteria that it has been listed as impaired. Among the companies with processing facilities along Flat Creek is Pilgrim's Corp.
But poultry companies say they aren't the only ones responsible for high levels of the bacteria. "Fecal coliform is a challenging pollutant to measure and also to control through a permit process," said Giles. "It is everywhere in the environment." 

Officials elected at Georgia Poultry Federation meeting

At the annual meeting of the Georgia Poultry Federation in April, members elected chairmen and directors.
The chairmen elected are Barry Cronic, of Columbia Farms, as the 2010-2011 chairman; Mark Ham, of Cagle’s, as senior vice chairman; and both Richard Jamison, of Perdue Farms, and Ken Long, of Pilgrim’s Pride, were elected as vice chairmen.
Directors elected for new terms of service on the board are Clay Banks, of the Equity Group; Jack Drew, of AgGeorgia Farm Credit; Mack Guest, of LAD Truck Lines; Jerry Lane, of Claxton Poultry; and Doug Lee, of Sanderson Farms.

Georgia Poultry Federation announces annual meeting exhibitors

The Georgia Poultry Federation has announced participants in the Research & Service Exhibit at its annual spring meeting from April 30-May 2 at Brasstown Valley Resort, Young Harris, Ga. Exhibitors include:
AgGeorgia Farm Credit, which is part of the nationwide Farm Credit System, a network of banks and associations that is the largest single lender of agricultural credit in America. AgGeorgia has been making loans for more than 90 years.
University of Georgia Department of Poultry Science, which will highlight its undergraduate instruction, graduate training, research and service programs.
Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, which has six locations throughout Georgia offering monitoring and diagnostic services for commercial and non-commercial poultry.
Georgia Tech Research Institute Agricultural Technology Research Program, which conducts contract and state-sponsored applied research that seeks engineering solutions to challenges faced by the poultry industry.
University of Georgia Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, which offers education in poultry medicine to veterinarians and poultry scientists, conducts research on the diagnosis and control of economically important poultry diseases, and provides diagnostic and consultative services to the commercial poultry industry.
Russell Research Center, USDA: The Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit is located in Athens, GA at the Richard B. Russell Research Center and is part of the in-house research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Its mission is to research issues affecting the quality and safety of poultry and other agricultural products relative to stakeholder needs in both industry and government.
Individuals interested in attending the annual meeting may e-mail the Georgia Poultry Federation.